Source: WENN.com / WENN
PENSACOLA, Fla. (PRWEB) September 20, 2019 — When the 6th annual Foo Foo Festival opens in Pensacola, Fla. on October 31, visitors will find a plethora of music events to fit nearly any musical taste or inclination. From rap and classical, swing and step, brass and blues, funk and Dixieland to choral and songwriting, this year’s fall arts festival runs the gamut of musical genres and offers something, quite literally, for everyone. The Foo Foo Fest, one of the Southeast’s largest arts and culture festivals, takes place October 31 – November 11 and is produced by the nonprofit organization, Art, Culture, and Entertainment, Inc. (ACE).
“Music is essential to Pensacola’s rich cultural history and this year we’re hosting an impressive array of diverse musical genres, artists and offerings,” said Foo Foo Fest Committee Chair Maria Goldberg. “In addition to diversity in music, we invite everyone to join us in the Culture Capitol of the Southeast as we feature not only world-class music, but esteemed entertainment headliners.”
Toward the beginning of the festival on November 2, guests can enjoy internationally-acclaimed classical piano virtuoso Garrick Ohlsson as he joins the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra to perform the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1, a pillar of the Romantic repertoire. The concert also includes works by two of Brahms’ contemporaries, Overture, Scherzo, and Finale by Robert Schumann and Die schöne Melusine by Mendelssohn. Also on November 2, StompFest arrives in Pensacola for the 2019 Invitational Step Show. The 125-year-old African American college fraternity/sorority tradition of “stepping” is a genre which uses dance movement and music to tell a story visually. Hosted by comedian and internet sensation Haha Davis, StompFest also features performances by multi-Grammy nominated musician Marsha Ambrosius and DJ Mannie Fresh.
Swing comes to Foo on November 4 with Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. Village Brass, the popular local seven-member band, opens the concert playing New Orleans-style funk, hip-hop and traditional Dixieland, then Big Bad Voodoo Daddy brings its horn-infused, high-energy show to jazz and swing fans of all ages. Together for more than 25 years, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy has appeared in concert venues worldwide, sold millions of records, and their music has been featured in hundreds of movies and television shows.
On November 7, the Foo Foo Festival features historic blues entertainer and recording artist Jimmi Mayes, who expounds upon his 50-year career in the recent book, The Amazing Jimmi Mayes: Sideman to the Stars. Having played and toured with the likes of Little Walter, Jimmy Reed, Pinetop Perkins, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith and Robert Junior Lockwood, Mayes backed Marvin Gaye and became good friends with Jimi Hendrix. Eventually, Jimi Hendrix asked Mayes to record with him on four Hendrix albums. Mayes performs at Foo with The Truth, featuring Tony Pasko and Cat Rhodes.
Continuing the variety of musical performances, Boston Brass comes to Foo on November 9 in concert with the Pensacola Civic Band. The concert, entitled “Sketches of Spain,” will highlight the music of Pensacola’s Spanish heritage including “Malaguena.” For 31 years, Boston Brass has thrilled audiences with a wide selection of musical styles from classical to jazz, interspersed with lively repartee and humorous banter as the group bridges classical formality with great music and boisterous fun.
Two additional musical opportunities feature audience and community musical collaboration. Choir!Choir!Choir! on November 6 is a unique concept in the musical world where no audition is necessary, singers simply show up and swap tickets for lyric sheets to master a song arrangement. Choir!Choir!Choir! began when Toronto-based musicians Daveed Goldman and Nobu Adilman wrote three-part arrangements of pop/rock/folk songs and invited people to drop by a local tavern to learn them. From November 7 through 17, the Frank Brown Songwriters’ Festival gathers, promotes, and gives voice and exposure to more than 200 songwriters in Pensacola.
Courtesy of www.thebellereport.com
